Gregory, the Faustian bargain is exactly what I think is going on. And, just as Faust found out, it will surely be their ruin (at least in the earlier versions of the tale). Many politicians take that route in lesser ways every day (bribes, cronyism, patronizing, lobby dollars, etc.) but this is the real deal. Politics oftentimes is the Art of the Faustian Deal.
Trump himself has made a Faustian bargain with Narcissus. In fact, many have gone the way of Narcissism in western societies. To paraphrase the Pope: Self-absorption is the gangrene of civilization.
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